Contents

Background

They were derived from the Dunkerque class,
and designed to counter the threat of the Italian Navy. Their speed, shielding,
armament and overall technology were state of the art (note the
unusual 4-gun turret arrangement).

In the context of the Washington Naval Treaty of
1922, the quad arrangement had the advantage of saving weight on
turret armouring, compared to four double turrets, while retaining
the same firepower. The drawback was that a single lucky shot
immobilising one of the turrets would effectively put half the main
artillery out of action. On the other hand, the entirety of the
main artillery was able to fire forwards, as the ship closed in to
her enemy, in an angle where she made the smallest possible
target.

History

The third unit, the Clemenceau, was broken up while
still under construction. The fourth unit, the planned
Gascogne, was never started. She was planned to bear her
second turret on the aft of the ship, bringing back a more
traditional design.